Pressure is only half of a matchup. A defense can create disruption, but the impact changes depending on how well the opposing offense keeps its quarterback clean. With two weeks now in the sample, Under Pressure pairs every Week 3 defense's pressure production with the pressure rate allowed by the offense it faces next.
The ranking is deliberately simple. EdgeLine combines where a defense ranks in pressure rate with how vulnerable its opponent has been to pressure. It is a matchup flag, not a projection.
Matchups That Stand Out
What the Matchups Tell Us
Minnesota brings the pressure. Tampa Bay raises the opportunity.
Minnesota has generated pressure on 47.8% of its opportunities, second in the league through two weeks. Tampa Bay's 27.8% pressure-allowed rate ranks 26th in this dataset. That combination pushes MIN → TB to the top of the Week 3 board.
Miami and Green Bay are pulling matchups upward.
Kansas City ranks ninth in pressure rate and Atlanta 13th. Neither needs to lead the league in disruption to produce a notable Week 3 matchup because Miami has allowed pressure at a 40.5% rate and Green Bay at 47.8%. Through Week 2, the protection profile matters as much as the pass rush itself.
The pressure paradox: CHI → PHI and CLE → CAR.
Chicago owns the league's highest pressure rate in this dataset at 48.8%, yet CHI → PHI sits seventh because Philadelphia has allowed pressure on only 21.9% of its opportunities. Cleveland provides the inverse example. Carolina has allowed a league-high 48.8%, but Cleveland has generated pressure at only 20.8%, leaving CLE → CAR ninth rather than at the very top.
That's the point of Under Pressure: a pass rush cannot be evaluated in isolation from the protection it is about to face.
Week 3 Pressure Explorer
| Matchup Rank | Pressure % | Pressures | Hurries | QB Hits | Sacks | Pressure Allowed % | Pressures Allowed | Hurries Allowed | Hits Allowed | Sacks Allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 MIN → TB | 47.8%#2 | 22 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 27.8%#26 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| #2 CAR → CLE | 28.2%#6 | 11 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 40.0%#29 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| #3 KC → MIA | 27.3%#9 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 40.5%#30 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 5 |
| #4 ATL → GB | 25.6%#13 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 47.8%#31 | 22 | 8 | 10 | 4 |
| #5 NYJ → DET | 30.8%#5 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 24.7%#20 | 21 | 5 | 11 | 5 |
| #6 CIN → PIT | 27.8%#7 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 25.6%#21 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| #7 CHI → PHI | 48.8%#1 | 20 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 21.9%#14 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| #8 LV → NO | 40.5%#3 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 22.2%#16 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| #9 CLE → CAR | 20.8%#19 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 48.8%#32 | 20 | 15 | 3 | 2 |
| #10 SF → ARI | 27.6%#8 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 23.1%#17 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| #11 JAX → NE | 40.0%#4 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 19.0%#9 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| #12 LAC → BUF | 23.1%#15 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 24.3%#18 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 4 |
| #13 PHI → CHI | 18.4%#24 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 28.2%#27 | 11 | 8 | 1 | 2 |
| #14 BUF → LAC | 26.8%#10 | 23 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 20.0%#11 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| #15 DEN → LAR | 18.2%#25 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 27.6%#25 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| #16 TB → MIN | 24.3%#14 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 20.0%#12 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| #17 NYG → TEN | 11.1%#30 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 30.8%#28 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| #18 NE → JAX | 22.2%#16 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 20.8%#13 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| #19 WAS → SEA | 21.9%#18 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 22.2%#15 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| #20 PIT → CIN | 19.2%#22 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 24.3%#19 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| #21 IND → HOU | 16.7%#26 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 26.2%#22 | 11 | 2 | 6 | 3 |
| #22 HOU → IND | 15.6%#27 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 26.5%#23 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| #23 LAR → DEN | 8.3%#31 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 27.3%#24 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| #24 BAL → DAL | 26.5%#11 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 11.1%#3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| #25 GB → ATL | 20.0%#20 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 19.2%#10 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| #26 DET → NYJ | 25.7%#12 | 26 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 3.8%#1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| #27 NO → LV | 22.0%#17 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 12.9%#4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| #28 SEA → WAS | 19.0%#23 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 18.4%#8 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| #29 ARI → SF | 20.0%#21 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 8.3%#2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| #30 DAL → BAL | 15.2%#28 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 16.7%#6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| #31 MIA → KC | 12.9%#29 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 18.2%#7 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| #32 TEN → NYG | 3.8%#32 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15.2%#5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 |